Local chat is doomed -_-

like was said earlier usually the districts 1 of each major city are the ones filled with trade spam. When i'm trying to sell or buy something i usually go there and i hardly ever see anyone try to form a group in la1 or droks 1 and so on. I think most players have figured it out and the lower the district you go you find pugs and some conversations going on.

I also have seen the trade chat used for converstations and forming groups so do not act like it's all one sided.

I am not defending the use of all chat for selling but i have been playing this game for almost a year (1 month till mini pet YAY) and it doesn't bother me anymore. I can serioulsy read all that is going on in a town and find what i am looking for. If anet really wanted to stop trade chat spaming the could make some kind of punishment for it but with the thousands doing it that would just get ridiculous. Plus they have been talking about Auction house even before the started releasing info about chapter 2 and still nothing. It's obviously not a major concern to them so they have no rush on it.

i was in ToA earlier today and someone was trying to buy ecto in local chat and not one person said anything about using trade chat. Most people have come to accept it and telling people it's annoying isn't going to stop them as there is no consequence for using all chat to sell and buy.

Oh well, if it wasn't full of trade chat it would be full of political and religious arguements.. With the not-so-occasional "yo mama" joke.

tl;dr after the half of second page.

Here's my view anyway: We (those who are annoyed by the local trade spam) cannot force/convince the traders to use trade channel. Not with insults, not with kind words, not with pleas and begging.

What we can do is make spamming the local channel "not viable" -- simply by not selling to and buying from anyone who spams local. If we are in the majority, we should reap the rewards with time.

If we are not, we might as well suck it up and accept the thing as the nature of the beast, because even an auction house will not totally eliminate the problem.

Actually, in popular cities d1 I see actual conversations. I rarely see big arguments...other then house/cavalon -.-

Wow you're extremely right! Now I understand why Random Arenas spawns so many mindless debates. O.o

Now for all of you who are arguing against the use of Local Chat for trading, ask yourself: Do you really want every city to end up like RA?

Long live trade spam!!

Sorry inscribed, you cannot pass the buck on this one and blame Anet for it. There are only two channels which reach everyone in the district. Trade and All. If sellers use all chat then people looking to group up have no chance.

It IS selfish to use all chat. You have the choice of using trade or all chat. Just because you want to sell something doesn't give you the right to spam an entire distict. You complain how long it takes to sell items? Well, think how long it takes people to play through the game because people like you are spamming all chat preventing people from grouping up to play the game. Since when did was your time worth more than everyone else's?

As to your 'point' that selling in all chat is more effective? Rubbish. Absolute rubbish. Unless of course you're trying to sell overpriced items to people who don't know better. I do all my trading in the Trade channel and I never wait long to sell an item. Why? Because I sell it for a price I know is reasonable.

I think the solution goes to filter the general chat with the names in your ignore list. This will stop the spammers for using it if they know they can be ignored. And if they dont u cant ignore the spammers and live better.
Salu2.

You know... while an auction house or similar would be good to have for everyone...

I think we can all take our bearing from the fact that ANet did put the filters in in the first place. This indicates, to me, that THEY think it's a problem.

Furthermore, I'll have to double-check this, but there's probably something in the EULA about evading filters. I'm sure that someone who deliberately evades a swear-word filter can probably be reported and, potentially, suspended or banned. I wonder if the same is true for evading the trading in all chat filter as well?

It seems we all agree on one thing- ANet's solution to trade is insufficient (not just the annoying spamtrade in All chat, but in general).

I trade quite a bit and yes, I post an occasional WTB/WTS in 'All'. And you know what? It's worth 10 msgs in 'Trade'. That doesn't make it right for me to advertise like that, but it's the best option for traders at the moment.

Traders should have more in-game options! Where can you sell stuff? In larger areas the trade channel gets so many msgs that it all whizzes by in a second. Create an island, "Press T to open the Trade window" where an auction house/searchable and browsable billboard would be, whatever, just do something. The 'Trade' chan is often not enough.

That said, I don't think anything except it being a reportable and bannable offence would stop people from advertising in 'All'.

cmon, stop whining about the locale channel ... turn it off
i ve never had a problem using those channels .. as long as u dont go in LA 1 or Ascalon 1 .. it's fine

The ignore list? It only has TEN slots. I actually use a lot of those slots because I've found some loons in game that I just can't stand. I actually wish the list was bigger. I only have one slot open in my ignore list to use for temporary ignores, and even if I had all ten slots open for blocking buyers, then there are still tons of spammers left.

Of course I've noticed someone has used the old complaint that you can't form groups and silly trash like that because of all the spam. The solution is so simple that I don't see why you find forming groups a problem. First off, most of the cities where you form groups, like missions or quest outposts, don't have a problem with trade spam. There is no frequent problem there. You may occassionally get someone spamming once or twice to sell something, but those idiots usually learn and stop.

The only places left are the major outposts. The big gold thumbtacks on your world map. Everyone, including you, knows that the first few districts of a town are where people go to spam. So all the people that have any clue at all (and it's these and only these clue-grasping people that you'll want in your groups anyway) will move to the higher numbered districts to form groups.

At present time there is no effective alternative to spamming in local chat to sell things. The people that say we should all use trade chat are the exact same people saying they frequently mute said chat. But we should all know where spam occurs and where it doesn't. I don't see why you can't use this knowledge and just change districts in the very few towns where spamming is a big problem.
LA, Droks, Ascalon
Kaineng, House, Cavalon

That's six towns, three per chapter. Not many at all. And I might add that House and Cavalon do not have much of a spam problem at all. Plenty of people are successfully forming groups there, and even conversing about whatever they please even in the first district.

I'd have to say the main spot is Kaineng Center (d1 of course).

I never blamed the people spamming the ALL channel before the filter because they had to compete with the others who were doing it, but now? Personally, I will not buy or sell from anyone who "gets around" the trade filter. It just bothers me that ANet tried to do something to make things a little better for us and these arses deliberately bypass it. I don't get upset or comment to them, I just won't buy their items.

Unless I'm crafting armor, I am never in "buy" mode, but yet I keep my trade channel open in case I spot a good deal. I assume there are many others out there as well. Also, the last couple weeks, I've been selling amulets, using the trade channel exclusively, and had very little problem selling them. I never saw a WTB Amulet of the Mists, but yet was able to find buyers with their trade channel on, and I didn't have to spend hours doing it.

The way I do it is to write the ad, asking for a pm, then I change districts after one ad. <Enter>, Up Arrow, <Enter> (repeats the ad in the next district), and change to next district. I cycle through all the districts that way and repeat for any city that I think might have a number of people. It was always Kaineng that I found the buyers, and now that I think about it, usually not d1.

Perhaps, ANet should rename the "Trade" channel to the "LFG" channel, redo the color scheme, and let traders spam the "ALL" channel all they want. Would the traders then infiltrate the LFG channel too ? Hopefully not.

It just comes down to a matter of respect, for yourself and others.

I really don't see the problem with it. Ok, it's a little irritating but if you don't want your chat spammed with WTB/WTS don't go to Droks or Kaineng. Those cities don't offer anything more or less than other places. They have been the GW trade areas for months now and if I don't want a headache I don't go to Droks or Kaineng. If that's the worst in-game problem, I think we're laughing.

Many people say they have no trouble selling things in trade chat. But if there wasn't a variance in color, some people spamming white and some people spamming pink, it would be hard to notice the individual items flying by. When I see too much white, i spam pink. When I see too much pink, i spam white. But if every single WTB or WTS was pink instead of variating, and you should go to the city and try and imagine it, it would be much more difficult for buyers and sellers to notice your individual sales unless they were in "buy mode". And of course I revert to my statement that many people mute trade chat all together when they're not in "buy mode".

me and my mates usually have a conversation in the trade channel, its a lot easier.

Turn local chat off when you try to sell/buy, and after a while the local chat spammers will notice they can never make any transactions when spamming there and the problem will be solved.

It doesnt really bother me in towns, cuz I barely do quests with PUGs. But hwne I saw about 4 people spamming to sell something in Raisu Palace earlier, I was like OMGWTFBBQ

I really think this game needs and in-game mods that will ban people for x-hours for doing stupid things like spamming in local chat. Coupled with a nice message "Player X has been banned for Y hours for spamming" to all to warn them it should give some idea that doing it is wrong. (Simmilar sanctions would also be applied for using all caps, cursing,...)

Sorry but, i dont see how not-having-auction-house or anything like that, is an excuse for spamming local chan. It's tedious to find PUG group for questing in LA or Droknar, i bet. Not just that, but i find it highly annoying when im in other outposts/towns/mission areas, and people keep spamming local chan with trade offers. I mean, I TURNED OFF TRADE CHANNEL WITH A REASON no thx i dont wanna buy your stuff!

Im a nazi, and i would first post on official website "use trade channel", then i would start giving temporary bans for everyone who does not use it. You dont need to ban everyone, just a small percentage. That will teach the others. When you can access the account for 3 days, that will be tough for most addicts. Then if you repeat offense, 10 days. Then a month. GG. It's good for ANet cause banned person doesnt waste their bandwith, and since he bought the game who cares if he plays or not :P

Well in LA for instance u may want to find pugs for quests.. but alas. However, in Prophecies i was ok with it. Ascalon, LA, Droknar. People were selling stuff there.. understood. What i dont understand is spammage of local chan in OTHER areas. And that's what i complain about. Droknar can have 10 trade chans as long as i care.

You should be banned.

Plain and simple.

Why is local chat better than trade chat? Both are just chat channels - use the proper one or get out of the game.

all it would take is a few GM's sitting around major towns for a hour or 2 handing out warnings/temp bans(even an hour or so) to people spamming local chat with trades n word would spread fast as it does in GW, n people would stop.

Its the same thing police do, if they want to stop something they make theirself noticed in area's for a while with force then slowly reduce numbers cause people then think "well feck going there, its swarming with cops these days".

I believe people use All! chat because it gets their message out more. Trade channel, due to EVERYTHING being that one color, just looks like one big massive text block, while All! chat has a difference between name colors, and text colors, so each individual response is set apart, starting with it's gold-name-letters.

I seem more spams now on the local chat than it is before, althought A-Net want to change that problem (i.e. if you type WTS or WTB in local chat, it will move to trade channel) But like every updates, peoples find way to get around that. Also they must be desperate to get our attention by spamming away on local chat instead of using trade channel.

For those soley arguing that it's not right to spam in local chat and that those spammers should be banned clearly are ignoring the root of the problem and want band-aid fixes to the game. First off, I don't spam, so don't take this personally. Secondly, it is impractical to ban so many people while ignoring the reason for it, without downplaying the use of spamming in any way. There is a reason why people feel the need to spam local chat. Does it make it ok? No, but they have no reason not to with the trading system that is provided.

Trading is PART of the problem (not the only problem, but the root of the problem). It can't be ignored.

As for Anet's update on the WTB/WTS filter.. it is more of a very weak attempt to patch an ongoing problem. It's a band-aid fix that won't last very long. I believe that the development team of Guild Wars understand very well that filters are not the effective solution, and I believe that it really doesn't take much thought to understand why. The update I am guessing is simply to show they may have plans to fix the trading issue (which I have no doubts they will eventually tackle), but since it does affect communication in the game, it really surprises me that signs only point to an update for the release of Ch. 3.

This is very disturbing since a year and a half after the game is released they only really attempt to solve this problem. I may be making this bigger of an issue than it is, but consider what a put-off it is to play a game where in a city, chat is hi-jacked by spamming of selling and buying.

My main concern is that this isn't a new problem for an online game to face, and it isn't something that has never been seen before. Why would Anet decide that this isn't a pressing issue? What I mean to say is why would a company, which can significantly improve the quality of the game, take over a year to tackle an issue that is clearly a problem with players? Consider that Anet is a professional company, and that they don't have 2 programmers in the basement working on an entire game like this, so although I respect game developers, I do believe they still have standards.

This isn't creating a new game, this is just one aspect of the game and if the development team really cannot support major add-ons to the game, then I must say that (I don't mean to bash, but it really needs to be said) I am very dissapointed with the lack of use of the streaming technology guild wars boasts. It is no better than waiting for a new patch in a game and especially one that take months to fix (which it really shouldn't). I almost wish we could pay to play to have certain issues like this be tackled. Of course, then no one would buy the game..

I sell all my items in the trade channel or in GWG auctions. I find buyers, I negotiate, I trade the item, I get my money.

I don't sell in the local channel, ever. When I'm not looking to buy/sell things, I turn the trade channel off because I don't want to trade.

People who say the trade channel doesn't work are wrong--there's no two ways about it. The only reason it's "broken" is because impatient people think the local channel is somehow more efficient, which is a myth. I've watched the WTS/WTB spam in Lion's Arch district 1 a lot--people who sell in the local channel spam their items for just as long as people in the trade channel.

The trade channel works. It's only broken because you, the people who trade in the local channel, think it's broken. Use the trade channel the way ANet intended and it'll work.

Next.

You cant ban people for not using trade channel... its freedom of speech... pfft

what they should do is make it reportable. not a bannable offense. but maybe have the ability to mute them on local chat fro a few days

The way it's intended to be used is simply unsatisfactory. It is difficult to read, takes a VERY long time to sell/buy, and its very easy to get your voice heard more in the local chat. It is obvious that the patch to help trading was just that.. a temporary fix. It, as has been proved, literally does not work in practice. Spamming in local chat is a consequence of the poor trading system. It is a very sad solution in comparison to... many many games out there.

Wow, I cannot believe someone would actually argue freedom of speech here. That has got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard regarding the All/Trade issue. Might want to look more into freedom of speech before ya turn into one of those who throws it around on a whim.

First of all, it's Anet's game, THEY decide what freedoms of speech you have and if they want to ban you for using the words "banana," "hobo," - whatever, they can. Second, freedom of speech is not universal. You may be permitted to say whatever you wish via certain media, but definately not all/most both ingame and out. Learning that you can't just say whatever you want whenever you want will get you a long way in life.

Stupidity must be bliss. Have you read the EULA? In a MMO it's a dictatorship not a democracy. You do as A-Net says or you are removed from the game. You could make your argrument for naming your char "Nazi's Rule" but you will still have to change your name because it is in the rules that A-Net has set.

I'm guessing that the filter was A-Net's "gentle suggestion" to please use the trade channel.

Something bigger has to follow.

Local chat is doomed in district 1 of all/most towns.
Local chat is perfect in district 2 or higher!


maybe some of them are new to trading? as for weapons.....It takes a while for people to know that people only buy perfect weapons. the price might suck or a lot lower then what your asking but perfect items are the only ones that seem to sell.

Doesn't really apply for mini's,dyies,materials, ets.... just funny how after doing a misson or swaping stuff (about 30 to 40 mins) i see the same ad on a GOLD req 8 14%^50 by the same guy. Oh just sell it off to the merchant. **and then you see "Please buy my stuff! at the end of the ad"

also have you see how much GOLD stuff is being sold cheap here on guru? hummm

guppy and TheMosesPHD said everything I was trying to say, but better. A majority of the detractors are refusing to address any of the issues brought up, and are just retorting with "OMG u should b banned!!1!"

A few things.

As many as there are of you who find the spam annoying or troublesome, there are many, many more who just don't care, and will continue to buy and sell this way. No, it is not a myth that things tend to get sold faster on local chat. It is a tried and true fact. Also, for those saying they have never had a problem selling something on the trade channel, I will retort by saying I have never had a problem finding a group on the local channel, despite any spam that might be present.

ANet is aware of the problem, but they do not feel it to be that serious, otherwise they would have implemented an actual solution. The filter they did implement is there for the ones complaining about the spam, than the ones doing the spam. Anet wants to appear like they are doing something about a problem, rather than addressing a problem (like implementing that trade house they promised a few months ago). I would love to see a clean local chat, but spam will continue, and there is nothing you, the player, can do about it. You can either come onto a message board and try to act high and mighty about your views, or you can just learn to live with it, like a majority of the playerbase has. I will continue to sell any items I come across on any chat I feel will speed up my wait, whether that be trade channel or local channel. I will also continue to buy any items I find useful, whether the seller is doing so on the trade channel or the local channel.

Like it or not, this is the view expressed by a majority of Guild Wars players. Do not expect it to change anytime soon.

PS. I know I am one of the few vocal proponents of this view (I represent the silent majority?), but do realize I am but one person of many, many others doing this. Attacking me personally is just childish.

PPS. For any Anet devs/spokespeople reading, I would love to hear any responses to this thread, not to be torn down or ridiculed, but out of simple curiousity. Do you see the spam in local chat as a serious problem? Do your characters buy or sell on local chat? Is there a timeline for the trade house, or any other trade improvements?

Hi,

I have not read every post in this topic and not gonna, but I am gonna add
this, it is very frustrating to even use the trade channel in dis 1 of Kaineng
center on a busy weekend, the messages are going by so fast you cannot
keep up unless you are a freakin speed reader, this is totally moronic!!!!!

Implement some kind of system does not make you have to stare at the
freakin screen till your eyes start to bleed, hence ppl advertise on the local....
so ppl will actually see there item, seems pretty simple to me.

Can anyone say "hawk-shop/pawn-shop", plx stop the stupid message
scrolling up the window at light-speeds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-steps down off SB and throws up.........

I keep hearing the same excuses "I don't like it therefore it's broken and I don't wanna use trade chat." This is still not an excuse to make it ok to use local chat to spam your WTB/WTS. Since when did two wrongs make a right? That's like saying two lefts make a right... everyone knows it takes three lefts...

Look... I'm not saying that the trade channel is perfect and doesn't need improvements or that a auction house might not be better. What I am saying is that just because you don't like what is currently provided for you gives you the right to use local chat. Perhaps if you used trade chat rather the local chat A-Net would be able to put their energies into making the trade channel better rather then spam filters.

~Andi

My solution (till Anet does it right) is to just turn off all chat channels minus the guild/alliance/group channels.

The filter could work and it could work well if it were treated as a virus scanner; updated constantly. All we would need is a way to /report the variations of WTS/WTB/WTT to Anet and they could update it constantly. Eventually, those working on ways around it would become the minority and they would be constantly added to ignore lists thus killing their sales.

To be honest, I don't mind. When I do sell in game, I make a point of not using local. But I don't boycott the local sellers, since:

• The local trading does not make conversations a problem. Even in droks dis 1 (european) I can chat quite easily, although I rarely do.
• The only places where you might be affected by local traders even slightly are Droks, Ascalon City and Lion's. I don't know about you, but I don't often make PUGs there.
• If somebody is selling an item I want and I see it cheap in local but wouldn't have in trade - I'm not complaining

Correct me if I'm wrong, but those of us that are complaining - how often have you been seriously set back in forming a PUG/chatting by these traders? Once? Twice? No more than 10, surely.

EDIT: I still want an auction house though. When I am having a conversation, the traders don't prevent it but they do break it up a little and the experience is ruined a little.

its W T S, or W TS, or Want to Sell!!!!, true, it does get annoying, but there are too many posible combinations for WTS than just WTS, itd make it hard to block all possible ways to say it

You see, that is the problem, the trade channel is a spam channel. They can improve the trade channel currently if they feel like, with filters, but that does not solve the problem that selling and buying through chat only is encouraging spamming. No one should mis-use the local chat, I agree, but it really can't be helped since the trading system encourages certain abuses of the local chat.

(highlight mine)

Uhm... you are crazy if you are trying to go through trade while it's in autoscroll mode. Click on chat bubble, scroll up a little (to wherever you want to start reading) and it stops it from running across your screen.

The only thing I'll agree with the Local sellers on is that the trade text color needs changed to almost anything else. It's incredibly annoying to try to read, but that's no excuse to not use it as it is readable.